National news: Police may get powers to impose curfews in future riots

VICTIMS of the riots are to be given the chance to speak out over what happened as ministers confirmed they were looking at new powers for police to impose wide-ranging curfews in the event of future disturbances.

VICTIMS of the riots are to be given the chance to speak out over what happened as ministers confirmed they were looking at new powers for police to impose wide-ranging curfews in the event of future disturbances.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said the Government would be establishing an independent communities and victims panel to ensure those caught up in the violence "can have their voice heard".

Mr Clegg stressed that the panel would not be the full scale inquiry demanded by Labour leader Ed Miliband but was intended to be part of a "grassroots process" to establish what happened.

"We don't want a grandees committee, we want a grassroots process where people in the communities affected and the victims who have been so damaged and hurt can give their views about what needs to happen to ensure it doesn't happen again," he told a Whitehall news conference.

At the same time, he said that the Cabinet Office would be commissioning independent research to find out more about "what happened, who did what and why they did it".

Mr Clegg said he wanted the panel - to be chaired by an independent figure - to work quickly, producing a report to be presented to the leaders of all three of the main parties within six to nine months.

As David Cameron toured Tottenham in north London, where the first riots broke out 10 days ago, Home Secretary Theresa May said ministers were looking at powers for police to impose no-go areas.

"Under existing laws, there is no power to impose a general curfew in a particular area, and, while curfew conditions can be placed on some offenders as part of their Asbo, criminal sentence or bail conditions, there are only limited powers to impose them on somebody under the age of 16," she said. "These are the sort of changes we need to consider."

Mrs May is also writing to Sir Denis O'Connor, the Chief Inspector of Constabulary, saying that forces should be given clearer guidance on tactics, pre-emptive action, the number of officers trained in public order policing, the need for forces to assist others, and the appropriate arrest policy.

However she rejected calls from senior officers to reconsider the Government's 20% cuts to police budgets in the wake of the riots, saying the disturbances showed the reforms were now more urgent than ever.

"I am clear that, even at the end of this spending period, forces will still have the resources to deploy officers in the same numbers we have seen in the last week," she said. "It's clear to me that we can improve the visibility and availability of the police to the public."

Mr Clegg, meanwhile, confirmed plans for a "riot payback scheme", with offenders helping to clean up areas hit by the disturbances.

Victims will also be given the right to confront those who tore up their neighbourhoods to hammer home the fact that the actions of rioters had consequences, with additional money provided to make that possible.

"In every single one of the communities affected there will be community payback schemes, riot payback schemes, where you will see people in visible orange clothing making up the damage done, repairing and improving the neighbourhoods affected," Mr Clegg said.

However he cautioned about the possible "unintended consequences" of Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith's plan to strip some benefits from convicted rioters. "We are going to take our time to look at this," he said.

"Of course you need to be proportionate, of course you need to be careful, of course you don't want to create unintended consequences where the taxpayer ends up footing more of the bill or we create more social problems or problems of law and order."

Asked about the new curfew powers, Mrs May said: "In relation to the curfew issue, it's something that we're going to look at to address whether, and to what extent, we may need to change the law. "There are two issues. One is the availability of curfew powers in relation to individuals who are under the age of 16.

"And the other is whether... At the moment the curfew powers are specific in terms of individuals and attached to individuals and it's whether more general powers are needed.

"I think we need to look at dispersal powers as well, because those do require an upfront designation of an area.

"We need to look at, in the fast-moving situation that we've seen over the past week - and that's one of the comments that police officers have made to me, about how fast-moving the situation was - I think we need to make sure the police have just got all the powers available to be able to use them as and when they are necessary."

She went on: "It's clear to me that, as long as we tolerate the kind of anti-social behaviour that takes place every day up and down the country, we will continue to see high levels of crime, a lack of respect for private property and a contempt for community life."